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Tony Mathias elected Leader of Rutland County Council

Date Published: 27 January 2017

Councillor Tony Mathias has been elected as the new Leader of Rutland County Council.

Cllr Mathias, who is one of two Ward Members for Oakham South East, was elected by majority vote at a Special Council Meeting on Thursday 26th January. He will serve as Leader until the next round of normal elections in 2019.

Following the vote, Cllr Mathias appointed Cllr Oliver Hemsley as Deputy Leader and announced that Cllr Alan Walters would be joining the Cabinet as Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Culture, Sport & Recreation and Environment.

“I consider it a huge honour to be elected Leader of Rutland County Council, having worked closely with both Roger Begy and Terry King throughout my time as a Ward Member and Deputy Leader. Rutland has always been my home so I know what a special place it is. Having held the position of Portfolio Holder for Highways, Environment, Transport, Community Safety and Market Towns I also understand the issues that are important to local people. The Council is clear about its plans and priorities over the next several years. Our county is growing and we need strike a careful balance so that we can provide the right levels of housing, employment, education and infrastructure while preserving Rutland’s unique character and that of our two market towns. Having a strong local economy is crucial in allowing us to support our communities and reduce pressure on families. Because of this we will continue to explore new ways to help businesses grow and look for new innovations to support the Council’s long-term goals. Most importantly, we will continue to protect and care for vulnerable residents. Rutland already leads the way in a number of areas when it comes to providing social care but demand for these services is rising. Working with local NHS partners, we want to make sure that people can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time and tackle health inequalities so that everyone has the chance to lead a long and healthy life. We’re currently preparing a budget that makes best use of our resources, so that we can do all of this. We’re also very open about the financial challenges facing local councils and what this means for Rutland. Officers at the Council work extremely hard to maintain the services we rely on every day and I’m looking forward to working closely with them in the coming months and years to improve and develop these services even further for the benefit of all our residents.”Councillor Tony Mathias, Newly Elected Leader of Rutland County Council